No water, no rice: Sad reality in rural Thailand this year
By Jon Fernquest
As
if politics was not enough, the drought in Thailand has gotten a lot
worse recently. (Read previous articles on this topic: #1 (17-05-10), #2 (25-03-10), #3 (17-03-10) and #4 (05-11-09)).
The amount of rice harvested in August may be half what it is normally.
That is what today's article is about. It begins after the vocabulary below.
drought
- a period when there is very little rain or water in an area (See Wikipedia)
ความแห้งแล้ง
Economics
Drought cuts second rice crop output
But overall harvest forecast still good10/06/2010
Phusadee Arunmas
The outlook for Thailand's rice production remains positive although a drought may halve output of the last part of the second crop ending in August to as little as 2 million tonnes.
The Office of Agricultural Economics (OAE) remains sure that output would top 32 million tonnes of paddy this year, 23 million tonnes from the main crop and 9 million from the second, said Apichart Jongskul, secretary-general of the Agriculture Ministry's agency.
overall
- including everything
harvest - the activity of collecting a crop การเก็บเกี่ยวผลผลิต
forecast - a statement about what will happen in the future based on information available now พยากรณ์
outlook - what people think will happen in the future ภาพรวม อนาคต
positive - hopeful and confident, or giving cause for hope and confidence ซึ่งมองในแง่ดี
paddy - rice after it has been harvested from the field ข้าวเปลือก
harvest - the activity of collecting a crop การเก็บเกี่ยวผลผลิต
forecast - a statement about what will happen in the future based on information available now พยากรณ์
outlook - what people think will happen in the future ภาพรวม อนาคต
positive - hopeful and confident, or giving cause for hope and confidence ซึ่งมองในแง่ดี
paddy - rice after it has been harvested from the field ข้าวเปลือก
The projected output would translate into 21 million tonnes of milled rice.
Chanchai Rakthananon, president of the Thai Rice Mills Association, said output for the second cycle of the second crop, ending in August, could fall to as little as 2 million tonnes from the 4 million harvested in the same season last year, and against a previous forecast of 5 million.
As a result, total output for the entire second crop is estimated at just 5 million tonnes of paddy this year, he said.
projected
- the amount that experts believe (forecast) for the future
would translate into - would result in eventually...
milled rice - rice that has been cleaned, prepared and packaged in a factory (mill) for sale in stores
cycle - a series of events repeated over and over again (in the same order)
would translate into - would result in eventually...
milled rice - rice that has been cleaned, prepared and packaged in a factory (mill) for sale in stores
cycle - a series of events repeated over and over again (in the same order)
Thailand can grow second-crop rice for more than one cycle, with certain watershed areas mostly in the well-irrigated central region able to achieve two or more cycles.
The first cycle second-crop harvest ending in early April was slightly affected by a water shortfall, producing an estimated 3 million tonnes of paddy.
Mr Apichart also said the price outlook for rice was weak, as output remains high compared with 31.65 million tonnes in the previous season, and new purchase orders remain sluggish.
watershed - an
important area of land that catches the water that feeds rivers, "an
area of land where water from rain and melting snow or ice drains
downhill into a body of water, such as a river, lake, reservoir,
estuary, wetland, sea or ocean. The drainage basin includes both the
streams and rivers that convey the water as well as the land surfaces
from which water drains into those channels, and is separated from
adjacent basins by a drainage divide" (See Wikipedia)
irrigated - land which has water brought to it from far away by pipes, canals and ditches
shortfall - amount less than the level that was expected or needed จำนวนที่ขาดไป, ปริมาณที่ขาดไป
purchase - buy
purchase order - "a commercial document issued by a buyer to a seller, indicating types, quantities, and agreed prices for products or services the seller will provide to the buyer. Sending a PO to a supplier constitutes a legal offer to buy products or services" (See Wikipedia)
sluggish - moving slowly อย่างช้า, ซบเซา
irrigated - land which has water brought to it from far away by pipes, canals and ditches
shortfall - amount less than the level that was expected or needed จำนวนที่ขาดไป, ปริมาณที่ขาดไป
purchase - buy
purchase order - "a commercial document issued by a buyer to a seller, indicating types, quantities, and agreed prices for products or services the seller will provide to the buyer. Sending a PO to a supplier constitutes a legal offer to buy products or services" (See Wikipedia)
sluggish - moving slowly อย่างช้า, ซบเซา
Thai rice prices, the benchmark for Asia, fell 1.5% to the lowest level in two years as a weakening baht makes export prices cheaper and import demand subsides, the Thai Rice Exporters Association said.
The price of 100% grade-B white rice dropped to $469 a tonne from $476 a tonne on June 2.
Association president Korbsook Iamsuri said rice exports for the first five months fell by 5.15% to 3.38 million tonnes compared with 3.56 million in the same period last year.
benchmark
- a standard that other things can be compared to and measured by
import - to buy or bring in products from another country นำเข้า
demand - the need and desire to buy goods and services by households and businesses
subside - falls to a lower level (example: the level of the flood water subsided)
import - to buy or bring in products from another country นำเข้า
demand - the need and desire to buy goods and services by households and businesses
subside - falls to a lower level (example: the level of the flood water subsided)
Last month alone, volume declined by 18% year-on-year to only 660,000 tonnes.
''The situation in the global rice market remains inactive, as the world's leading rice traders are mostly based in Europe which is now hard hit by the debt crisis and the falling euro,'' said Ms Korbsook.
volume
- the quantity or amount of something
global - throughout the world ทั่วโลก
traders - people and companies which buy and sell goods for profit
debt - an amount of money that you owe หนี้
crisis - an urgent, difficult or dangerous situation วิกฤต
global - throughout the world ทั่วโลก
traders - people and companies which buy and sell goods for profit
debt - an amount of money that you owe หนี้
crisis - an urgent, difficult or dangerous situation วิกฤต
(Source: Bangkok Post, Drought cuts second rice crop output, But overall harvest forecast still good, 10/06/2010, Phusadee Arunmas, link)
